The Tracey Ullman Show - Show News, Reviews, Recaps and Photos - TV.com The Tracey Ullman Show EDIT A variety/sketch show brought to you by a British comedian Tracey Ullman. The show was one of the first programs on the then-new FOX Network in the U.S. in the mid 1980s. Tracey's show was a sketch comedy show including lots of singing and dancing. "The Simpsons" appeared as short, animated sketches, interspersed between the main, live-action sketches. The Tracey Ullman Show led to the creation of the hit FOX show, "The Simpsons." It began as short skits on Ullman's Show. Overall the Simpsons made appearances in 48 episodes in the show's first three seasons and one additional appearance in the fourth and final season. The Big Bang Theory The Romance Recalibration NEW The Great Indoors Mason Blows Up NEW More Info About This Show Categories Comedy Important: You must only upload images which you have created yourself or that you are expressly authorised or licensed to upload.

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Related top topics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Tracey Ullman Show April 5, 1987 – May 26, 1990 Chronology The Simpsons The Tracey Ullman Show is a weekly American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman . It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the FOX network's second primetime series (after Married... with Children ), and ran until May 26, 1990. Re-runs of all the episodes appeared on the Lifetime TV cable channel as well as Comedy Central during the middle and late 1990s. The show featured sketch comedy along with many musical numbers , featuring choreography by Paula Abdul . It also produced the animated series The Simpsons . This is the first show produced by Gracie Films and also produced by 20th Century Fox Television . Contents 10 External links Background By the 1980s, acclaimed television producer, James L. Brooks , (producer of The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Taxi , and Rhoda ), had left the television industry for the big screen.

At the time that he won the Oscar for his film, Terms of Endearment , Brooks began receiving videotapes from Ullman's Los Angeles agent, hoping to get his attention. Ullman, who was already famous in her homeland, England, was already landing a variety of television deals and proposals in America, but none had panned out. These projects didn't suit Ullman's interests. "[They were] shows with morals, where everyone learns something at the end of the show," related Ullman to a television critic for TV Guide in 1989, describing the television show ideas that were offered to her. Brooks was so taken by what he saw in Ullman, that he decided to take the young no under his wing and return to television. Brooks was determined to develop the right vehicle to showcase Ullman's talents: acting, dancing, and singing and decided upon creating a sketch comedy show.

Ullman had already had a successful music career in the early 1980s, in the UK, and had a top 10 hit on the American charts with a cover of Kristy MacColl 's " They Don't Know " and her You Broke My Heart in 17 Places . Format A typical episode would begin with Ullman giving a brief introduction, ostensibly from her dressing room, leading into the opening titles (the show's theme, "You're Thinking Right", was written by George Clinton ). Then two or three comedy sketches would be presented in each episode, most designed to showcase Ullman's ability to skillfully mimic various accents. One popular recurring character was timid, slow-talking Kay ("Iiit's... Kaaaaaaaayyy...") Typically, the final sketch of the night would include a musical and/or dance number featuring Ullman solo or other members of the cast. The final segment saw Ullman, clad in a robe, deliver a closing monologue to the studio audience before ending the show with her catchphrase "Go Home! Go Home!" and dancing as the credits rolled. Ullman often talked about her husband, Allan McKeown, and her daughter, Mabel.

Ullman chose the phrase, "Go home," during the show's pilot episode because she couldn't think of anything clever to end with. "Oh, you got sore bums... go home!" The show won three Emmy Awards : for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program in 1989 and 1990, for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 1990. Also in 1989, choreographer Paula Abdul won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for her work. [1] Abdul was noted for putting Ullman through strenuous choreographed routines. Ullman had been a trained dancer. Credits Characters Tracey Ullman as Kay Clark, from "Kay on Vacation", ep. 1.6, 1987 Tracey performed an array of characters. Most only appeared once, as the sketches concentrated on plot, with characters created to best tell that particular storyline. A handful of characters did however return for subsequent sketches.

These include: Ginny Tillman, the ex-wife of a Beverly Hills proctologist; Francesca McDowell, a 14-year-old New York City girl being raised by her father Dave (portrayed by Castellaneta) and his partner William (McMurray); Tina, a Brooklyn postal employee who is best friends with her co-worker Meg (Kavner); Sarah Downey, a quintessential yuppie married to attorney Greg (Castellaneta); Kay Clark, an English office worker and caregiver to her sick mother (Kay also appeared frequently in Tracey Takes On ); Sandra Decker, an aged Hollywood movie actress; Kiki Howard-Smith, an Australian professional golfer; Summer Storm, a Los Angeles disc jockey; and Angel Tish, a singer who appeared with her husband Marty (Castellaneta). Among the recurring characters portrayed by other cast members, besides those previously mentioned, were Gulliver Dark (McMurray), singer and rival to Marty Tish, and Dr. Alexander Gibson (Castellaneta), a psychiatrist. In the course of its four season run, Ullman performed a total of 108 characters.

[2] Episodes Main article: The Simpsons shorts The Simpson family debuted in short animated cartoons on The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons before being spun off into their own half-hour series . These shorts, also called " bumpers ", aired before and after commercial breaks during the first and second seasons of the show. They eventually had their own full segments in between the live action segments during season three. They did not appear in the fourth and final season as they had their own half-hour TV series by then. All of them were written by Matt Groening and animated at Klasky-Csupo by a team of animators consisting of David Silverman , Wes Archer , and Bill Kopp . Tracey Ullman Show cast members Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner provide the voices of Homer Simpson and Marge Simpson respectively. In the beginning, the drawings appeared very crude because the animators were more or less just tracing over Groening's storyboards, but as the series developed, so did the designs and layouts of the characters and the "Simpsons drawing style" was ultimately conceived.

This style evolved even more throughout the first few seasons of The Simpsons and was used more than a decade later on Futurama , another animated series created by Matt Groening. Dr. N!Godatu Dr. N!Godatu was another series of animated shorts created by M.K. Brown (and animated by the same Klasky-Csupo team). It originally alternated every other week with the Simpsons shorts, but was dropped after the first season of the show. By this point, Groening's shorts had gained much more popularity and the producers saw no reason to continue Brown's shorts. The character was voiced by Julie Payne .

References The 80 Best TV Shows of the 1980s :: TV :: Lists :: Page 1 :: Paste The 80 Best TV Shows of the 1980s By Josh Jackson | November 11, 2014 | 3:15pm Share Tweet Submit Pin To say that I was raised by 1980s TV is unfair to my wonderful parents, but I certainly spent as much time with the Keatons, the Huxtables, the Seavers, the 4077th and the Cheers gang as I did around my own kitchen table. This was the decade of the VCR, but you still didn’t make plans on Thursday nights. It was a golden age for sitcoms and for big, silly action-adventures where the good guys always won—plenty to distract us from the last vestiges of the Cold War and a pair of nuclear arsenals that could do a decent imitation of the Death Star. Nostalgia for bygone eras gave me a connection to the ’50s with Happy Days and the ’60s with Wonder Years, but mostly shows captured the 1980s in all of its neon glory.

Big hair, loud colors and very special episodes ruled the day, as TV dared to talk about issues that had always been taboo. We’re celebrating the best of ’80s TV all week here at Paste. We’ve dug back into the crazy decade, to find the 80 Best TV Shows of the 1980s. We were judging each series on its content between Jan. 1, 1980 and Dec. 31, 1989, so some great ’70s shows that lasted into the ’80s fell further down the list, while The Simpsons , which we named The Best TV Show of the 1990s , didn’t make the cut during the 1980s with only one Christmas special to its name. Let us know your favorite shows of the 1980s in the comments section below (besides, of course, Too Many Cooks ). 80.

V Stars: Marc Singer, Faye Grant, Jane Badley, Michael Ironside, Robert Englund Network: NBC V in the 1980s is a great example of a concept that worked well as a miniseries but couldn’t support itself as a full-on TV show. The story of Earth being invaded by friendly-looking “Visitors” who actually turn out to be man-eating reptile people was pure 1950s sci-fi claptrap, simply updated with ’80s fashion, but unfolding over the course of a two-night miniseries, it was cheesy good fun. Expanded into a full series, however, the show was more like a sci-fi soap opera with lizard people: The Post Dispatch in St. Louis called it “Dynasty with lizard makeup and laser guns.” It was also plagued by cast issues—Michael Ironside straight-up walked out on the program during its first and only season. Fun trivia bit: It also starred Robert Englund, better known as Freddy Krueger, the same year he appeared in the first A Nightmare on Elm Street and became a horror icon.—Jim Vorel 79. Sledge Hammer!

Stars: David Rasche, Anne-Marie Martin, Harrison Page Network: ABC Vigilante justice and a tough-nosed “us vs. them” mentality fueled by the Cold War was rampant in the ’80s. And, of course, our culture reflected this by the return of Dirty Harry, the Eastwood-inspired TV show Hunter, and three Death Wish sequels. It was a turn that was ripe for satire, which is just what creator Alan Spencer did with this short-lived series. Like the Dirty Harry series, the titular character (played by the great David Rasche) was a San Francisco cop who bucked protocol at every turn, loved resorting to violence, and reveled in his conservative worldview. It proved a fertile ground for sly humor and slapstick gags as well as some brilliant jabs at other ’80s TV series and films.—Robert Ham 78. Growing Pains Stars: Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, Jeremy Miller, Ashley Johnson Network: ABC It’s odd to think that there are people living today who are only familiar with “born-again Christian” Kirk Cameron and not “hunky teen dreamboat” Kirk Cameron, but it’s true.

In truth, there’s not much that sets Growing Pains apart from any other family sitcom of its day, but it somehow manages to be one of the most fondly remembered sitcoms of the ’80s regardless, from its homey opening sequence of family photos to the classic theme song, “As Long As We’ve Got Each Other.” It’s perhaps most interesting for the sudden conversion of its star, Cameron, to born-again Christianity, which made working with him a challenge, considering his ladies’ man character could suddenly no longer exhibit most of the behaviors that were expected of him. We can only imagine that Tiger Beat subscriptions took a hit that day.—Jim Vorel 77. Knight Rider Stars: David Hasselhoff, William Daniels, Edward Mulhare, Patricia McPherson Network: NBC Artificial intelligence was never as cool before or since the creation of KITT, Michael Knight’s partner in the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG). KITT, a souped up Trans Am, didn’t need a driver and was outfitted with enough gadgets to make James Bond jealous. Created and often written by Glen A.

Larson (whose credits include Battlestar Galactica , Quincy, M.E., The Fall Guy, Magnum, P.I.), there were always plenty of bad-guy plans to foil in exceedingly awesome manners.—Josh Jackson 76. China Beach Creators: William Broyles Jr., John Sacret Young Stars: Dana Delaney, Nan Woods, Michael Boatman, Marg Helgenberger, Robert Picardo, Tim Ryan, Ricki Lake Network: ABC Focusing on the women (and men) behind the front lines of the Vietnam War, this groundbreaking drama was distinct from many of the other TV series that tackled war. Set on the beach that housed both a hospital and a rest and recreation center, Dana Delaney headlined as nurse Colleen Murphy. Colleen often served as the audience point-of-view into the war and how it affected not only the soldiers but those who supported them. The innovative series did not shy away from the horrors of combat and often featured real-life veterans. Critically acclaimed but low rated, China Beach lasted for only four seasons but like many shows its legacy has grown since its untimely cancellation.—Amy Amatangelo 75. Wiseguy Creator: Stephen J.

Cannell, Frank Lupo Stars: Ken Wahl, Steven Bauer, Jonathan Banks, Jim Byrnes Network: CBS Wiseguy stars Ken Wahl as Vinnie Terranova, an operative for the FBI who specializes in deep cover work. Wanting to explore both the mechanics of undercover work as well as the emotional toil it takes on a person, the writers choose to construct the show in a way that seemed more akin to British serials than episodic American television. Each season would be divided into several distinctive arcs that would play out over multiple installments. While the show received significant critical attention, low ratings and the departure of its lead in the fourth season eventually led to its demise. Often overlooked in the discussion of great TV dramas, Wiseguy nevertheless remains an integral bastion in the development of American televised storytelling.—Mark Rozeman 74. Three’s Company Creator: Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, Bernie West Stars: John Ritter, Suzanne Somers, Joyce DeWitt, Jenilee Harrison, Priscilla Barnes, Don Knotts Network: ABC Three’s Company’s best years were in the ’70s before the Ropers got their own ill-fated spin-off.

But John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt remained until the series ended in 1984, three years after Suzanne Somers was replaced by Jenilee Harrison. If prime time wasn’t ready for a gay character, it got around that taboo with Ritter’s womanizing Jack Tripper pretending he was gay so that their stuffy landlord would allow him to stay. At its best, it was a slapstick hit, spinning silly misunderstandings into sitcom gold.—Josh Jackson 73. ALF Creators: Paul Fusco, Tom Patchett Stars: Paul Fusco, Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson, Benji Gregory Network: NBC Somehow, like Full House, this series also featured a family named “The Tanners,” but that’s where the comparisons end. A bizarre show in retrospect that featured a puppet as the titular character, ALF was about an alien named “Gordon Shumway” who crash-lands in the backyard of a suburban family and then proceeds to work his way into their hearts while waiting for his cohorts to stop by and pick him up, occasionally attempting to catch and eat the family cat along the way.

Most episodes play out as a cross between Perfect Strangers and Growing Pains, as ALF learns about various human customs and the family attempts to shield him from the public and the government officials hunting for him. It all builds to one of the most insane TV finales of all time, as Gordon is captured by the government and brought to a lab, with the implication that he will be dissected alive in the name of science. Seriously, that’s how ALF ended. It was meant to be a cliffhanger ending, but because a fifth season of ALF was never produced, one of the weirdest sitcoms of the decade ended in one of the weirdest ways.—Jim Vorel Original Run: 1959-64, 1985-89, 2002-03 Creator: Rod Serling Star: Rod Serling Network: CBS Writer/host Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone may very well stand as one of the greatest and most influential TV shows of all time. Certainly after his death in 1975, the fingerprints of Serling and his genre-friendly morality plays could be found in the work of a new generation of writers and filmmakers.

Despite the commercial disappointment of the 1983 Twilight Zone movie, CBS decided to resurrect the series in 1985. And while the ’80s revival may not have always reached the heights of the best Serling-penned episodes, it certainly produced installments that would have made the maestro proud, including contributions from the likes of Harlan Ellison, J. Michael Straczynski and a pre- Game of Thrones George R.R. Martin . Then there’s the 2002 iteration of the show—but that’s a whole other can of worms.—Mark Rozeman 71. Kate & Allie Stars: Jane Curtin, Susan Saint James, Ari Meyers, Frederick Koehler, Allison Smith Network: CBS The strength of Kate & Allie was in its two lead actresses—Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin—and the strong, independent women they portrayed. Kate and Allie are childhood friends who’ve both gone through recent divorces, leaving them to raise children on their own. They move into a Greenwich Village brownstone together, Kate as the breadwinner and Allie taking care of the home. SNL vet Curtain won the Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series twice.—Josh Jackson 70.

Who’s the Boss? Original Run: 1984-92 Stars: Tony Danza, Judith Light, Alyssa Milano, Danny Pintauro, Katherine Helmond Network: ABC Retired baseball players making their way in the world today was a theme of ’80s sitcoms (the minimum MLB salary in 1980 was $30,000 compared with $500,000 today). In Who’s the Boss?, former Cardinals second baseman Tony Micelli (Tony Danza) decides a housekeeping job in Fairfield, Ct., will provide his daughter with a better upbringing than he got in Brooklyn. He works for a single mom, ad exec Angela Bower (Judith Light), providing years of will-they-won’t they tension and a flip of traditional gender roles.

The show was a ratings hit and eventually overcame initial lukewarm critical reaction to win an Emmy and a Golden Globe.—Josh Jackson Creators: Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, David Wise Stars: Cam Clarke, Townsend Coleman, Barry Gordon, Rob Paulsen Network: Syndicated It’s crazy to think that the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series somehow made it through 10 full seasons and an incredible 193 episodes, but it did. It was the first on-screen depiction of the characters after the original Mirage Studios comic, and much was changed in regards to the series tone and characterization. Gone was the grittiness of the comics, replaced with a bright, colorful, child-friendly series that embraced the “teenage” side of the turtles, turning them into slang-spouting skater boys with a mean pizza obsession. Much of this same characterization would be kept intact for the first 1990 live action movie, and these general depictions have remained in place ever since, which makes the original animated series perhaps the definitive version of the characters as far as influence is concerned.

To a young child of the late ’80s/early ’90s, there were few things more satisfying than picking up an empty cardboard wrapping paper tube and swinging it around like Leonardo, except maybe for playing with the thousands of ridiculous Ninja Turtle action figures the series spawned.—Jim Vorel 68. Crime Story Original Run: 1986-88 Creators: Chuck Adamson, Gustave Reininger Stars: Dennis Farina, Anthony Denison, Stephen Lang, Bill Smitrovich, Bill Campbell, Steve Ryan, Paul Butler, Ted Levine Network: NBC While Michael Mann’s Miami Vice was undoubtedly the more popular program of the day, there’s no question that Crime Story better reflected Mann’s more ambitious sensibilities. Set in 1963 Chicago, the show followed detective Mike Torello (the late great Dennis Farina) as he attempts to take down mobster up-and-coming mobster Ray Luca (Anthony Denison). In the course of the show’s two seasons, Torello’s pursuit of Luca would take the show throughout the dirty streets of Chicago and, eventually, into the desert oasis of Las Vegas .

Along with Wiseguy, Crime Story helped eschew the traditional episodic structure of most cop shows in favor of central storylines that would develop over multiple episodes. Not to mention, despite its brief run, the show managed to incorporate many before-they-were-big guest spots from the likes of Kevin Spacey, Gary Sinise, Christian Slater, David Hyde Pierce, Lili Taylor, David Caruso, Ving Rhames and, in her first TV appearance, Julia Roberts.—Mark Rozeman 67. The Tracy Ullman Show Original Run: 1987-90 Stars: Tracey Ullman, Julie Kavner, Dan Castellaneta, Sam McMurray, Joesph Malone Network: Fox Tracy Ullman’s prime-time run on Fox may be best known for introducing the world to The Simpsons (a pretty major cultural milestone), but she packed sketch comedy, musical numbers and animation into each show. Her co-stars Julie Kavner and Dan Castellaneta voiced Marge and Homer on the show for three years before making that their full-time gig, but Ullman was the undeniable star here.

She played more than 100 different characters over four years, singing and dancing to the demanding choreography of Paula Abdul.—Josh Jackson 66. Night Flight Stars: Pat Prescott Network: USA The same year that MTV exploded upon the airwaves, another cable network was introducing a program that would prove, for at least one nocturnal cadre of TV viewers, just as influential. Night Flight was something of a four-hour variety show, aired on Friday and Saturday evenings, that would play a little taste of everything going on in the underground and cult music, art, and film worlds. You could stumble upon a screening of the animated sci-fi classic Fantastic Planet, performances by stand-up comics, concert films, Cold War-era newsreels, or episodes of SnubTV, a British TV series covering the indie music scene. It was an invaluable resource for left-of-center thinkers and impressionable teens around the U.S., and the precursor for the work of the similarly minded curators at Network Awesome. —Robert Ham 65. Laverne & Shirley Creator: Garry Marshall, Lowell Ganz, Mark Rothman Stars: Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Michael McKean, David L. Lander Network: ABC “Schlemiel! Schlimazel!

Hasenpfeffer Incoporated!” That’s the extent of my Yiddish, thanks to a pair of lovable roomies in the ’70s and ’80s. The low-rent, blue-collar, brewery-working buddies began their TV lives as friends of the Fonz. But Penny Marshall’s Laverne De Fazio and Cindy Williams’ Shirley Feeney quickly outdrew Happy Days, doing it their way. Michael McKean and David Lander arrived fully formed as their upstairs neighbors Lenny and Squiggy, characters they created for comedy routines during college. The four characters were unlike any we’d seen on TV before.—Josh Jackson 64. Full House Stars: John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, Candace Cameron, Jodie Sweetin, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Network: ABC Full House: The absolute definition of the “family sitcom” in the late ’80s/early ’90s.

Unlike the Blossoms of the era, Full House wasn’t about the “very special episode”; it was just wholesome, family friendly entertainment all the time, which has become all the more humorous in the years that followed as former viewers learned just how foul-mouthed Bob Saget could be in literally any other context. This, though, was the television equivalent of cotton candy: airy, saccharine, and totally insubstantial. Even if you watched a ton of Full House episodes, I’ll bet you barely remember the full plot of any of them. All that remains is blurred images—Uncle Jesse’s band, The Rippers; Joey’s creepy voices and impersonations and the adorable one-liners of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen as the family’s youngest child, Michelle Tanner. It was a show completely focused on its characters rather than its plots or themes, which were all completely archetypal.

Watching it today is even more of a time capsule than most of these shows—I mean really, what says “the end of the ’80s” more than Stephanie Tanner’s dance to The B-52’s “Love Shack”?—Jim Vorel Creator: Bill Arhos, Paul Bosner, Bruce Scafe Stars: Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Leonard Cohen Network: PBS Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Austin City Limits has become the longest-running music series in U.S. television history and the only TV show to receive the Presidential Medal of the Arts. But when ACL launched in 1974, it was just a scruffy, down-to-earth broadcast showcasing mainly roots musicians from the Austin area without a lot of showbiz frills. By the mid-’80s, the show had become an institution. Performers like Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Leonard Cohen, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt and Tom Waits all came to play intimate sets at their own pace, which often resulted in unforgettable episodes offering portraits of legendary performers in their primes.

Now, of course, every one from Radiohead to Beck embraces a chance to take the ACL stage, but the show’s unique curatorial voice—one that focused on the best country and blues while always willing to consider exciting deviations—took shape in the ’80s.—Dan Holmes 62. WKRP in Cincinnati Original Run: 1978-82 Creator: Hugh Wilson Stars: Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Loni Anderson, Richard Sanders, Frank Bonner, Jan Smithers, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman Network: CBS Like many of the best sitcoms, WKRP was borne from very real experiences. Executive producer Hugh Wilson spent some years working as a salesman for a radio station in Atlanta, and many of the show’s memorable characters were based on real folks in the broadcast biz. Rooting in reality has helped keep the show feeling fresh 30 years later. There’s also something universally hilarious about the “slobs vs. snobs” tensions between the on-air personalities (’60s burnout Dr. Johnny Fever, and the stylish and smooth Venus Flytrap) and the bean counters (station manager Arthur Carlson and slick ad man Herb Tarlek) keeping the transmitter on.

Add in Loni Anderson as a buxom blonde secretary and a newsman who mangles information and pronunciations, and you’ve got the formula for some tart and tangy comedy.—Robert Ham 61. Max Headroom SCTV (TV Series 1976–1981) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Second City TV (original title) 30min The staff of Melonville's TV station put on programming that is unique in its own silly way. Creator: a list of 33 titles created 03 Apr 2011 a list of 46 titles created 30 Mar 2013 a list of 27 titles created 14 Oct 2013 a list of 30 titles created 10 Feb 2014 a list of 24 titles created 5 months ago Search for " SCTV " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site?

Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The staff of Melonville's TV station put on programming that is unique in its own silly way. Stars: Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin Garry Shandling pokes fun at sitcom conventions. Stars: Garry Shandling, Molly Cheek, Michael Tucci Canada's most famous hosers, Bob and Doug McKenzie, get jobs at the Elsinore Brewery, only to learn that something is rotten with the state of it. Directors: Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas Stars: Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Max von Sydow The TV series of the Canadian sketch comedy troupe that, more often than not, puts bizarre, unique, and insane twists in their skits. Stars: Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald Riffs on pop culture, politics and even the show's own sponsors. Stars: Dana Carvey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert This comedy/variety show specialized in parodies of movies and television shows and commercials. Often, they would also have a special guest (e.g., a TV actor) join them in the comedy ...

See full summary » Stars: Ben Stiller, Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo The misadventures of a 30-year-old paper-boy (played by Late Night alum Chris Elliot) and his wacky parents. Such show topics included the eating of a space alien, a robotic paper-boy and ... See full summary » Stars: Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, Robin Riker The Smothers Brothers host a comedy variety that would become notorious for its topical satirical humor. Stars: Tom Smothers, Dick Smothers, Pat Paulsen The original rapid fire sketch comedy show. Stars: Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Ruth Buzzi After Shuckton, Ontario's bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics is rejected, Mayor Larry Bowman is murdered in his home, and almost everybody in town becomes a suspect. Stars: Melanie Scrofano, Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch Tracey Ullman hosts a variety show containing sketches, song-and-dance routines and the Simpsons. Stars: Tracey Ullman, Dan Castellaneta, Sam McMurray Edit Storyline Sketch comedy show set around the fictitious TV station SCTV. The programs broadcast by SCTV were parodies of films and other television shows.

They included "Farm Film Report", Woody Allen's "Play It Again, Bob!", "Monster Horror Chiller Theatre", and "Great White North." Other skits involved the staff of SCTV, like president Guy Caballero, clueless newscaster Earl Camembert, washed up actor Johnny LaRue, and leopard-skin print wearing station owner Edith Prickley. Written by Mike Konczewski See All (35) » Taglines: Don't touch that dial! Don't touch that one either! And stop touching yourself! SCTV is on the air! Genres: 1 September 1977 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia Chris Columbus cast Catherine O'Hara as Kate McCallister in the Home Alone movies because of her work on SCTV. See more » Quotes Moe Green : [on Dialing for Dollars] [to camera] Moe Green : We're trying to reach Mr. Paul Pope of Melonville to see if he knows the name of tonight's movie. Moe Green : [sfx phone ring] Hello? Moe Green : Hello, is this Paul Pope? Pope Paul: No. This is Pope Paul.

[to camera] Moe Green : We seem to have reached the Vatican, ladies and gentlemen. Moe Green : [to phone] Well, hello, your Holiness, this is Moe Green on Dialing for Dollars. [...] See more » Crazy Credits In the first 2 seasons the cast names were given by voiceover (by Dave Thomas) instead of opening credits, and the last name was given as "And Dave Thomas as the Beaver". In the first 2 seasons the opening includes a parody of the Indian-head test pattern. See more » Connections The Simpsons The Simpsons Mmmmmm... Mainstream success.... Matt Groening (rhymes with "complaining") had made a name for himself as a demented cult cartoonist long before "The Simpsons" ever came along. "Life in Hell," an alternative weekly comic strip, debuted in 1977 with the adventures of a dissipated rabbit named Binky, and his extremely neurotic friends (included fez-wearing gay twins/lovers Akbar and Jeff). "Life in Hell" was often searingly satirical, pushing the edge with biting comments on relationships, sex, careers and politics.

Funny and off the beaten track, the strip caught the attention of the producers of "The Tracey Ullman Show," a headline attraction on the brand-spankin' new Fox TV network. The original "Simpsons" cartoons were short vignettes inserted around the commercial breaks of the comedy-variety show. These were short punchline-driven segments, with a cynical tone that flowed directly off the pages of "Life in Hell." The animation was terrible, the voices were weird, and the skits tended to have very low energy levels. But they were funny, and they were edgy, qualities that hadn't been seen in TV animation since the glory days of "Rocky and Bullwinkle." The reactions to the Simpsons bits on "Ullman" were so favorable that Fox picked up the idea as a series of its own, and "The Simpsons" debuted in midseason, January of 1990. The half hour series instantly became one of the Fox network's biggest hits, scoring an Emmy its first year out.

Although it's kind of hard to imagine now, the show was a lightning rod for cultural critics at the time (including Dan Quayle and George and Barbara Bush ), who found "The Simpsons" emblematic of everything that was wrong with America, such as Homer's penchant for strangling his trouble-making son, Bart. Of course, the whole point of the show was to be emblematic of everything wrong with America. Arguably, it was the whole point of the entire Fox network. Fortunately for Fox and Groening, Americans love to glorify their faults. Well, that and the fact that it was really, really, really funny. The show originally focused on the antics of Bart, the young anti-authoritarian son of the family. After a brief, faddish craze over Bart Simpson catchphrases like "Don't have a cow" and "Eat my shorts," the writers wisely realized that the heart of the show wasn't Bart so much as Homer Simpson, the crude, stupid, selfish patriarch of the family. In the early going, Homer was basically a brutish and bad father and husband of moderately low intelligence, who learned valuable lessons about caring and sharing when the show bothered to focus on him.

But over the course of the first three Simpsons, people began to notice that Homer was also funny. Really funny. The character progressed from brutish to mind-bogglingly stupid, with a feckless optimism that every awesomely bad idea he came up with would be his ticket "out of this hellhole." It took a couple of years for actor Dan Castellenata to get the voice performance for Homer just right. Once his familiar cadence set in, the show entered its second, non-faddish phase of popularity, and stayed there for a decade. Homer's catchphrases had more staying power. There's not a lot of poetry in "Don't have a cow, man" but "Mmmmmmmmm... donuts" satisfied some primal need among viewers. And then there was Homer's anguished cry of existential despair, "D'oh!" Long after Bart's "cowabunga" was gathering dust in the Secret Graveyard of Abandoned Pop Culture Cliches, "D'oh!" received the special distinction of being included in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001.

(It's defined as "expressing frustration at the realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned or that one has just said or done something foolish.") Rounding out the Simpson clan are Marge, the long-suffering and mostly repressed mother, Lisa, the brainy child, and Maggie, the mute baby. The show succeeds in part because of its ensemble-style cast of misfits, including the dottering Grampa Simpson, incompetent Police Chief Wiggum, uber-nerd Millhouse, Bible-thumping Ned Flanders, evil tycoon Montogmery Burns, ambiguously gay Mr. Smithers, mocking bully Nelson, corrupt Kennedyesque Mayor Quimby, vile bartender Moe, homicidal maniac Sideshow Bob, mommy's boy Principal Seymour Skinner, and the chain-smoking, gambling-addicted, hard-partying children's TV hero, Krusty the Clown. As the show went on, the supporting cast was often featured in star turns, including washed-up movie star Troy McClure, portrayed by the late Phil Hartman , who introduced himself invariably with the line: "Hi, I'm Troy McClure!

You may remember me from such..." ...TV spinoffs as "Son of Sanford and Son" and "After Mannix!" ...self-help videos as "Smoke Yourself Thin" and "Get Confident, Stupid"! ...such nature films as 'Earwigs: Ewwww' and 'Man vs. Nature: The Road to Victory'." ...such films as "The Erotic Adventures of Hercules" and "Dial 'M' for Murderousness"! ...from such educational films as "Lead Paint: Delicious but Deadly" and "Here Comes the Metric System!" After 15 seasons on the air, "The Simpsons" is the longest-running animated series in history, and one of the longest-running series, period. It's tempting at this point to launch a recitation of favorite moments and quotes, such as the parody of The Prisoner , or the Stonecutters episode, or classic Homer lines like "This is everybody's fault but mine!" and "I'll make the money by selling one of my livers," but with something like 350 episodes over 15 years, the list gets a bit unwieldy.

Oh hell, let's do the Homer lines anyway: Operator, give me the number for nine-one-one! It's like David and Goliath, only this time David won! Hey, just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand! Marge, it takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen. Marge, I'm going to miss you so much. And it's not just the sex. It's also the food preparation. In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics! You don't win friends with salad. You can't keep blaming yourself. Just blame yourself once, and move on. Trying is the first step towards failure. They have the Internet on computers now? Okay, brain. You don't like me, and I don't like you, but let's get through this thing and then I can continue killing you with beer. Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try. Bart, with $10,000, we'd be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like...love! Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!

Do I know what rhetorical means? Timeline Matt Groening born, Beaverton OR. 1977 Debut of The Simpsons on Fox. 19 Sep 1991 Simpsons episode 7F24 "Stark Raving Dad": Michael Jackson guest stars as an obese, caucasian mental patient who thinks he is Michael Jackson. Credited as John Jay Smith. 20 Feb 1992 Darryl Strawberry guest stars in Simpsons episode 8F13 of The Simpsons, Homer at the Bat, where he and several other major-leaguers are hired by Mr. Burns to help defeat Shelbyville. 19 Feb 1995 Simpsons episode 2F13 airs, Bart vs. Australia .

3 Nov 1996 Simpsons episode 3F23 "You Only Move Twice": Supervillain Hank Scorpio asks: "Homer, what's your least favorite country: Italy or France?" When Homer says France , Hank replies: "Nobody ever says Italy ." 16 May 1999 Simpsons episode AABF20 "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo": Money management guru Chuck Garabedian explains that he got his suit cheap "because Roy Cohn died in it." 28 May 1998 Phil Hartman killed by his wife in a murder/suicide. 19 Dec 1999 Simpsons episode BABF07 "Grift of the Magi": Gary Coleman guest stars as a security guard working at the secret headquarters of Kid First Industries. 2 Nov 2003 Simpsons episode EABF21 "Treehouse of Horror XIV": Jerry Lewis plays the voice of Professor John Frink Sr., a reanimated corpse who has won the Nobel Prize.

11 Spinoffs That Lasted As Long As (If Not Longer Than) the Shows They Spun off From << Movie & TV News and Interviews – Rotten Tomatoes by Beki Lane and Kerr Lordygan | March 24, 2015 | Comments Since Better Call Saul takes place six years before we ever meet Walter White, there’s no reason that Vince Gilligan’s prequel can’t last as long as Breaking Bad ‘s five seasons (and if these long-running spinoffs are any indication, Better Call Saul could go the full six). Here’s a look at some of TV’s most successful spinoffs which ran at least as long — if not longer — than their origin series. Maude / Good Times The origin show: Maude (1972-1978), 6 Seasons A spinoff itself (Maude was Edith Bunker’s cousin on All in the Family), Maude starred Bea Arthur as an upper-middle class liberal feminist living with her fourth husband. The spinoff: Good Times, (1974-1979): 6 Seasons The Evans family lived in the projects of inner city Chicago, “keeping their head above water.” How did it become a spinoff?

Esther Rolle played Maude’s housekeeper, Mrs. Evans, and she proved to be such a popular character that she was given her own series. However, Maude never really addressed her departure and the two shows take place in different cities. What made it so successful? Jimmy’s catchphrase “Dy-no-mite!” became a pop culture phenomenon, changing the focus of the show from the struggles of Esther and her husband to the antics of the Evans children — and TV audiences followed right after them. Liquid Television / Beavis and Butt-Head The origin show: Liquid Television (1991-1994), 3 Seasons MTV’s showcase of animated shorts and music bites, Liquid TV was a cult fave in the ’90s. The spinoff: Beavis and Butt-head, (1993-1997, 2011): 6 Seasons Two cartoon high-school flunkies critiqued live-action music videos which generally were either “cool” or “sucked.” How did it become a spinoff?

As part of Liquid TV‘s animated slate that also included Aeon Flux, Beavis and Butt-Head spun into its own series when MTV asked creator Mike Judge, who did both voices, to develop his rock-loving losers into a series of 25-minute episodes. What made it so successful? At the time, Beavis and Butt-Head was considered an edgy cartoon and although the two protagonists were a couple of idiots, the way in which Judge captured their idiocy was sharp and funny. Golden Girls / Empty Nest The origin show: The Golden Girls (1985-1992), 7 Seasons Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and her mother Sophia, all single after years of marriage, became housemates, sharing friendship, laughs, and the trials of single senior life. The spinoff: Empty Nest, (1988-1995): 7 Seasons Dr. Harry Weston was a pediatrician widower living in Miami with two of his three adult daughters who continually tried to find their life partners and leave home. How did it become a spinoff? The Westons were The Golden Girls‘ neighbors.

Stars of The Golden Girls made various cameo appearances on the spinoff and, after the end of the origin show (and the end of additional spinoff The Golden Palace), Estelle Getty joined the permanent cast of Empty Nest. What made it so successful? The well-played comedic irony was that Richard Mulligan’s character should have been living in an empty nest, but his grown daughters wanted to find themselves a couple of men before they blew the coop. David Leisure, then of “Joe Isuzu” fame, was a fan favorite as smarmy neighbor Charley Dietz. Soap / Benson The origin show: Soap (1977-1981), 4 Seasons The trials and tribulations of sisters Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) and Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon) and their families were chronicled in a comedic sendup of the soap opera genre. The spinoff: Benson, (1979-1986): 7 Seasons Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) was hired to run the Governor’s mansion but may as well have been running the state itself. How did it become a spinoff?

After season two, Benson left the Tates to work for Jessica’s cousin — who just happened to be the Governor. What made it so successful? Guillaume’s charm and ability to be the smartest guy in the room translated well to his own vehicle, and the ensemble cast came together to create a winning comedic combination. Diff’rent Strokes / The Facts of Life The origin show: Diff’rent Strokes (1978-1986), 8 Seasons Wealthy Manhattan widower Philip Drummond adopted the two sons of his deceased maid from Harlem. The spinoff: The Facts of Life, (1979-1988): 9 Seasons Boarding school housemother Edna Garrett tended to schoolgirls while they grew into young (and very funny) women. How did it become a spinoff? In the final episode of Diff’rent Strokes season one, the Drummond’s maid, Mrs. Garrett, did a stint sewing costumes for the school play at East Lake School for Girls, after which she was asked to work at the school permanently. What made it so successful?

The personality clash between Jo Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon) and rich girl Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel) contributed greatly to the show’s success, along with its quippy, witty dialogue. And, though often doling out morality plots, the characters were always funny and likable (plus, having one of TV’s catchiest theme songs certainly didn’t hurt either). Perfect Strangers / Family Matters The origin show: Perfect Strangers (1986-1993), 8 Seasons The surprising arrival of Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot) from the island Mypos to his cousin’s bachelor pad (Mark Linn-Baker) infringes upon “coosin” Larry’s newfound privacy as the two bond and learn from each other’s cultures. The spinoff: Family Matters, (1989-1997): 9 Seasons The lives of police officer Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson) and his family are turned on their heads when they open their home to hip, street-smart Mother Winslow (Rosetta LeNoire), with frequent visitations by nerdy nuisance neighbor, Steve Urkel (Jaleel White).

How did it become a spinoff? Harriette Winslow (JoMarie Payton) worked at the Chicago Chronicle newspaper where Larry and Balki went to work in 1987. Her husband, Carl, was a police officer who appeared in the Perfect Strangers episode, “Crimebusters.” (A bit of small trivia: Larry and Balki were originally planned to have appeared in the pilot episode of Family Matters before it was cut.) What made it so successful? Did somebody ask, “Did I do that?” The initial idea was for an African-American family comedy revolving around the Winslows. But ratings for the spinoff were nothing to write home about until the appearance of Jaleel White as the nerdy neighbor, Urkel. Cheers / Frasier The origin show: Cheers (1982-1993), 11 Seasons Former baseball pitcher and alcoholic Sam Malone (Ted Danson) took ownership of Cheers, a neighborhood Boston bar, working with and serving some of Boston’s funniest personalities. The spinoff: Frasier, (1993-2004): 11 Seasons Psychiatrist Dr.

Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) left Boston to go back to his hometown of Seattle, taking a job as a radio shrink. But Frasier’s hopes for enjoying his new life were impeded upon by his father (John Mahoney) who needed to move in with Crane due to his recent physical impairment. How did it become a spinoff? Frasier was among the regular barflies at Cheers, whose personal problems with his wife Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth) often drove him to the bar — and eventually to Seattle after their divorce. What made it so successful? With Cheers ending its eleven season run, fans were thrilled to be able to follow one of their most beloved characters and to meet his father Martin, his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce), and caretaker Daphne (Jane Leeves), all of whom became beloved sitcom stars as a result.

All In the Family / The Jeffersons The origin show: All In the Family (1971-1979), 9 Seasons Focusing on the Bunker family and its bigoted patriarch, Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor), All in the Family was groundbreaking television about an old-school hothead confronted by his new-school daughter (Sally Struthers) and son-in-law (Rob Reiner). The spinoff: The Jeffersons, (1975-1985): 11 Seasons George and Louise “Weezy” Jefferson move to an affluent high-rise apartment building, and find that success does not solve the problems of parenting, crazy neighbors and life in New York. How did it become a spinoff? The Jeffersons moved in next door to the Bunkers in season one, and lived there for the first five seasons of All In the Family. As George’s dry cleaning business became more successful, the Jeffersons “moved on up” out of Queens to the east side — and into their own hit show. What made it so successful? The idea that a wildly different collection of neighbors could come together to create a fairly traditional sitcom held great appeal with viewers.

Love, American Style / Happy Days The origin show: Love, American Style (1969-1974), 5 Seasons A popular show that presented a collection of shorts about love in the good old US of A. The spinoff: Happy Days, (1974-1984): 11 Seasons Set in the 1950s, this sitcom centered around the Cunningham family and friends, including Fonzie, a loveable greaser renting the apartment over their garage. How did it become a spinoff? The short “Love and the Television Set” from Love, American Style was tapped to become its own TV show by producer Garry Marshall. What made it so successful? The Cunninghams, Fonzie, and all the regular characters on the show became extended members of our own families, visiting most American households every Friday evening, right after suppertime. Dallas / Knots Landing The origin show: Dallas (1978-1991), 14 Seasons Larry Hagman starred as oil tycoon J.R. Ewing, whose infinite schemes became a recurring touch point for multi-plot this CBS primetime saga.

The spinoff: Knots Landing, (1993-1997, 2011): 14 Seasons Reformed alcoholic Gary Ewing (Ted Shackelford) and his girlfriend (Joan Van Ark) were one of four couples living in a housing development known as Knots Landing. How did it become a spinoff? Gary, the younger brother of J.R. Ewing, knowing he could never live up to his father Jock Ewing’s unreasonable expectations, split from Texas to start anew on a southern California cul-de-sac. What made it so successful? Gary may have been looking to escape the drama of Dallas, but quickly found himself mired in soapy plots, labyrinthine sub-plots, and juicy cliffhangers that kept viewers hooked for 14 years. The Tracey Ullman Show / The Simpsons The origin show: The Tracey Ullman Show (1987-1990), 4 Seasons British comedian Tracey Ullman landed on American primetime with a variety show of sketch comedy, song-and-dance routines, and animated vignettes.

The spinoff: The Simpsons, (1989-present): 26 Seasons A cartoon about a middle-class family in Springfield, The Simpsons follows a traditional sitcom format while simultaneously satirizing popular culture. How did it become a spinoff? Most people know that the Simpsons were featured in animated shorts (as in, short cartoons, not “eat my shorts”) on Fox’s The Tracey Ullman Show, but many don’t realize that there were 48 shorts in all. Wildly popular, Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa, and Bart moved into their own Fox series with the same voice actors. What made it so successful? In the early days of The Simpsons, the show focused on the dysfunction of the nuclear family (especially between Homer and Bart), a fresh perspective on TV in 1989 — especially in animation. But it’s the never-ending supply of pop culture jokes, inside references, and oddball Springfield residents that has kept the show going for over two decades.

Question: What famous TV family got their start with short vignettes on the variety show, The Tracey Ullman Show?
Answer: The Simpsons